althause



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

W. E. WORTHEN AND J. J. ALTHAUSE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CONSTRUCTING SLATS FOR BLINDS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 22,600, dated January 1'1, 1859.

To all whom it 'may concern:

Be it known that we, VILLIAM E. WOR- THEN and J. J. ALTHAUSE, both of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Blind-Slat or Louver-Board, and that the following specification, taken in connect-ion with t-he drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

The drawing is a perspective view of a portion or short piece of one of our lufer boards or more properly louver boards.

The object of our invention is to produce a louver board that shall be light, strong, cheap and sufficiently iire and burglar proofwand the nature of our invention consists in a louver board made of two thicknesses of sheet metal combined with a metallic tube substantially in the manner hereinafter specified.

In constructing this board, a tube of sheet metal of proper lengt-h is procured, either slit along its whole length in the process of manufacture, or slit afterward; a sheet of metal of a little more than double the width of the board when finished, is next taken and is by means of hand tools or proper Inachinery bent into a shape corresponding or nearly in cross section, with that shown in the drawings, A A A representing the sheet which when bent forms two wedges placed base to base, the bases being bent so as to form portions of a cylinder as at B B B. The two edges are also bent inward toward the hollow of the slat as at C C C. These edges may at iirst be bent so as to be parallel to each other and the tube is then slipped in with the edgesV of the slats entering the slit and these edges are then to be bent to the shape substantially as shown in the drawings, thus confining the tube in place by friction; or the edges may at first be curled over as shown, and the tube then by strong pressure forced into place. The manner in which the result is arrived at is however immaterial so long as the article when constructed is substantially like that represented and described.

The tube may or may not project beyond the ends of the sheets. If it projects the projecting ends will serve as pivots or pintles for the slats to turn upon. If they do not project, a rod or tube may be driven into each end of the slit tube or may be passed entirely through it. The projecting ends of said rods or tubes swing on pivots. The edges of the finished slats may or may not curl over in reverse direction as shown; but we prefer them curled as each slat thereby makes a partial lock on its neighbor when the blind is shut.

The interior of the slat may be filled with pieces of wood as shown at D D or with plaster or cement or some lire proof composition or the space between the two thicknesses of metal may be left empty, air eX- cepted, and we intend at times to close up the opening at the ends of the slats by sheet metal or by plugs.

It needs no demonstration to prove that the slat is strong and light and well adapted for closing openings of considerable width and when constructed by machinery now in use its cheapness is remarkable.

IVhat we claim as our invent-ion and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- A sheet metal blind slat or louver board made up of the combination of a slit tube with two thicknesses of sheet metal the whole being substantially such as hereinbefore specified.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names in the city of New York on this 25th day of February, A. D.

W. E. VORTHEN. J. J. ALTHAUSE. 

